TRL Marantz Sa-14

Hey pardales! So you got your unit and are in the process of breaking it in! Looking forward to hearing your opinions on how it compares to the xa777es. Please do let me know. Please let me know if the differences were dramatic or subtle and which you liked more. I am considering the modded sa 14. I hope you will still remember how the xa777es sounded as to still be able to make an informative comparison. That shouldn't be a problem as you used to own one. I think the sony xa777es is a really good machine. I havent owned alot of hi end cd players (I once owned a marantz cd 17)but i have to say the sony is the best i've owned so far. I find it to be a very honest player. It tells you what's there and doesn't sugar coat the original studio recording. Things come through very neutral. Judging it in comparison to reference or world class players (and to be honest , I havent heard any of them but can imagine)I would guess and I realize I'm only guessing but I would say that it is probably a bit cold and a bit harsh. "A bit cold and a bit harsh" relatively speaking, in comparison to the ultra high end cdp's.

Anyways...Happy listening.

Vertigo...

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Looking forward to getting a TRL Esoteric P-70 D-70 combo!

Pardales-

Chatted with Paul about the break in issue to verify what we talked about months ago.
The answer is yes and no (:>
If the machine was brand new, then more yes as you have to break in both SACD and CD for a period of time.
If the unit was already used, then the DAC needs minimal re-break in and the unit break in overall can be done with either or both.

I think I got this right (:>

Vertigo: Without a doubt the TRL SA-14 sounds better than the XA777 on redbook CD. The way you described the XA777 is exactly the way I would put it: SACD was wonderful and redbook was a bit dry and could be a little uninvolving (but very accurate and true to the recording). SACD on the TRL is at least as good and probably better than the Sony. Keep in mind that I only have 50 hours on my machine.

Pardales: You said, "Keep in mind that I only have 50 hours on my machine."

Just wait until you get to 500 hours ...

My TRL/SA-14 started to really break in at 300 hours and continued to around 500 hours.

Enjoy the ride,

Jack